Photo By Staff Sgt. Jayden Ford | Senior Airman Jonathan Ten Broek, 19th Maintenance Squadron aircraft structural...... read more read more
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An Airman slowly walks up a set of stairs and climbs on the roughly-sanded grey tail of a C-130J Super Hercules. The Airman leans over and squeezes the trigger of his paint gun, gently misting the plane with specks of bright orange paint. He moves the tool with precision –– applying an even coat onto a plane that will soon look exactly like that of one over 60 years ago.
The 19th Maintenance Squadron corrosion control shop solidified themselves in Little Rock Air Force Base’s history with their efforts in transforming two C-130J’s to match the paint schemes of planes connected to the heritage of the 41st and 61st Airlift Squadrons.
The painting process began with the shop having to source the paint that would be used to paint the planes in their perspective patterns.
“These are non-standard paints, so the approval process to acquire them was quite lengthy,” said Maj. Bradley Allen, 19th MXS commander. “We had to get through the stages of acquiring the paint because they're not standard Air Force paints. Especially the orange paint, because there were only a small number of manufacturers that specific color. “
Once the paint arrived, the team got to work –– beginning with the Honeymoon Express paint scheme first, its tail received camouflage paint and the words “Honeymoon Express” appear on the right side of the aircraft, then moving on to the Ski Model paint scheme, with orange on the tail, nose, and wings –– working against a tight schedule to show off the planes during Team Little Rock’s 65th Anniversary events.
“We were really up against the clock due to the fact that the planes needed to be complete by the eighth of October,” Allen said. “We were immensely lucky that the temperature and humidity worked in our favor and the paint was sprayed with minimal issues.”
Upon completion, the corrosion control shop reflected on the time and effort that was required to complete these planes –– finishing them over a week ahead of schedule.
“It was a culmination of all three shift’s hard work,” said Airman 1st Class Jacob White, 19th MXS aircraft structural maintenance journeyman. “Everybody in this shop had a part to play. We finished ahead of schedule, which wouldn’t have happened without good communication between everyone involved.”
The Airmen who played a part in getting these C-130s painted will have proof of the work they have done that will last for as long as the plane holds strong –– forever ingraining their efforts into the history of the 19th Airlift Wing and Little Rock AFB.
“It's going to be amazing to see the planes that I've worked on around base,” White said. “When I am someone's supervisor I will show them these planes and tell them that this is what I worked on when I was a young Airman.”
The opportunity to display these units rich heritage again is seen as beneficial to all Airmen of TLR –– as well as the local community –– helping everyone to remember the stories of those before us, while paving the way for those to come.
“It is extremely important to connect our Airmen –– in both the officer and enlisted corps –– with what we've done in the past, what we've learned from the past, what we're doing now and how we're preparing for the future,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ray Mullins, 19th MXS superintendent. “Anytime someone sees these heritage planes, they will see where we came from and how we integrate our past into our future and instilling a sense of pride –– knowing they helped bring these paint schemes back to life.”
| Date Taken: | 10.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.09.2020 16:40 |
| Story ID: | 380700 |
| Location: | LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 19th MXS: Painting way into history, by SSgt Jayden Ford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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